How To Add Contact Photos To iOS 7 Messages App

Although iOS allows you to add images to contacts in your address book, for some reason, this feature still does not extend to the SMS app. Thankfully, the jailbreak tweak SMSContactPhotos, which essentially explains itself, has been updated for iOS 7, and as seems to be particularly in vogue for this latest Apple firmware release, has been named SMSContactPhotos7.

This is one of those simple tweaks that doesn’t do a great deal for functionality, but simply adds a bit of color to proceedings. In your SMS lists, your contact photo is displayed on the right-hand side of the message, while within a message, it replaces the edit button. The edit button doesn’t disappear, mind, so if you wish to remove a message within that particular thread, simply tap the contact image and you can continue about your business.

As far as changing contact images, you would approach this in the usual way – by opening the Contacts app and applying manually.

It is worth pointing out, however, that if you download BiteSMS beta for iPhone 5s, this feature arrives as standard, as well as a myriad of other exciting and infinitely useful quirks. Said app has just been updated for iOS 7 and the iPhone 5s, so if you’re an interested party, you can catch all of the details in our feature length post.

SMSContactPhotos7 can be downloaded right from the BigBoss repo, which should be a default source within Cydia provided that you haven’t decided to remove it. Following a respring, you’ll readily be able spot contact pictures in your SMS lists as well as in conversations.

This particular tweak is absolutely free of charge, so if you don’t want to go all-out with BiteSMS and prefer to alter the iOS experience with a collection of minor adjustments, then SMSContactPhotos7 is definitely one you’ll want to consider.

Yes, it can be rather cumbersome filling in those gaps to ensure everything appears uniform, but once you have a suitable picture for every one of your contact, the SMS app does look a little bit more complete.

Also, if you’re looking for further customization of the native Messages app, then also be sure to give Messages Customiser for iPhone a shot. It allows you to edit the chat bubble colors as well, and is also a free-of-charge offering.

In all honesty, we would give Messages Customiser more points for what it has to offer. Rest is up to you which route you choose to take.